Real men don't read instructions

My old bike had schrader valves, and the new bike has presta valves. I've known this for the last few weeks, without really thinking about it. Tomorrow though, I'm setting off on a week's cycling trip, and it occurred to me that I had never tried to pump up a tyre with a presta valve. Sod's law says that a puncture always happens at the worst possible time, and I thought it would be better to have a trial run in the back garden, on a dry afternoon, rather than on a remote road in the dark and rain.

I already knew that I would have to release the little lock nut on the valve, and I knew that my floor pump has a dual head that fits both types of valve. So far so good - all that worked fine. Then I tried using the little frame pump that I take with me on the bike, and discovered that the head only fitted a schrader valve.

I've been riding around for weeks carrying a pump that doesn't fit, which is pretty dumb. Not only dumb, but arrogant as well. I tend to suffer from the attitude that real men don't need the instructions. Like lifeboats on the Titanic, instructions are intended for women and children first. So when I fitted the pump to the bike I had just unwrapped it, bolted it on and thrown the packaging away without looking at it.

Thank goodness for the internet. The solution is far from obvious, but eventually I found the answer. It turns out that if you unscrew the head of the pump, you can squeeze out a rubber plug, and remove a little plastic gizmo that sits underneath it. You then flip both the other way round, and reassemble it all.

To much relief it now works fine. I hope I don't get a puncture next week, but if I do I will be able to ignore how dumb I can be, and congratulate myself on my foresight. Particularly if it happens in the cold and dark and wet.

By popular demand....

...this is a picture of my new bike.

I've had it for a week now, ridden every day, and covered just over 150 miles. That includes one long outing yesterday, a shorter trip mapping in Bracknell today, and a selection of my favourite local loops in the evenings after work.

Previously I've been riding a hybrid, so the new riding position is less upright. The big difference is that different muscles tire first, but I'd like to think that I'm also moving a bit more swiftly, and I'm finding the brakes more of a reach. I imagine that will change as I adjust to the different position.

There are two things that need some work. I've not got the front gears adjusted to be quite as smooth as I would like, and I gather that a new leather saddle will take a few hundred miles to adjust to my anatomy. The saddle has been reasonably comfortable from the start, but the "contact points" do get a little sensitive after a long ride.

This isn't intended as a review, but seven outings and 150 miles in the last week represents about a third of this year's riding. I think that probably reveals how delighted I am.

Taking stock after a week

It is now a week since I got the new bike, and I've done 60 miles - half in one longish ride, and half as a number of short local rides. It is time to take stock.

I suppose the main difference is that this bike is built for longer rides. It is lighter than the other, with a bigger frame, larger and narrower wheels. Oddly, the change is most noticeable when freewheeling (it feels as though it will run on for ever), but even though I am a bit out of practice, It certainly feels up for longer outings, and I already get round the shorter runs more quickly. So it meets the main objective of getting something that would carry me a longer distance. The Ridgeback motto "go further" is etched into the stem to egg me on.

The second most noticeable change is that the stance is quite different. I am less upright, leaning forwards more, and with a longer reach to the handlebars. I had originally considered getting drop handlebars, but the bike shop advised that was a step too far, and I think they were probably right. I'm now beginning to get used to the new angles, and I suspect it will turn out to be about right in the long-run. The longer reach is certainly more comfortable on the wrists. It's quite an odd feeling going down steep hills though. The combination of a downward slope, greater speed, and leaning further forward sometimes makes it feel as though I am about to go over the front wheel.

There is no suspension on this bike, whereas the last had a sprung seatpost, and sprung forks. The difference is certainly noticeable. A hard push on the pedals feels as though it is going straight to the wheels. On the other hand, while the narrower seat means less rubbing on a long haul than before, any discomfort from this seat comes from bumping. I am now more conscious of uneven road surfaces, and I tend to put more of my weight on my feet, and less on my seat than I used to (at least until I get tired).

Changing gears on the previous bike was done by twisting the handles, but now it is a case of clicking a couple of little levers. There is probably a proper technical term for this, but whatever it is called, it seems to work fine, and it is certainly snappier. The choice of gear isn't quite coming naturally yet - I still have to think about where I want the ratios to go, and sometimes I have changed in the wrong direction, or pulled on a brake instead. Practice will no doubt sort that out before long.

The only niggling thing at the moment is that I can't get used to the toe clips. Once I'm moving they are not an issue, but having to fit my foot back into the toe clip every time I re-start is a bit of a nuisance. It doesn't come naturally yet, so there is a degree of fumbling around each time.

On the whole, I am pleased with the choices I made. To my eyes, it's a very pretty piece of machinery. I am certainly not fit enough to take full advantage of the improvements yet, but at least I am heading in the right direction, and it promises to be great fun getting there.

New bike

About eighteen months ago, I bought myself a bike, from the nice people at Saddle Safari in Marlow. It was a Trek Navigator. Like me, built for comfort, not for speed.

My aim was to get more exercise, and nearly forty years after I had ridden a bike regularly, I'd forgotten how much fun it was. So for a while I had a great time exploring local byways. I did get more exercise, I lost some weight, and I felt much better.

Then a series of things got in the way of riding, and I got out of the habit. Finally, just before Christmas, we were burgled, and now somebody else has my old bike.

So I had to organise a replacement.

After giving it some thought, I went back to Saddle Safari, and ordered a Ridgeback hybrid, which is lighter, faster, and a bit more expensive (well, quite lot more expensive to be honest). It arrived last Wednesday, so this is my first week of trying it out.

This time I can anticipate that once the novelty wears off, there is a risk that other things get in the way. I don't want that to happen, so I'm setting myself a series of challenges and tasks, in the hope that they will encourage me to stick with it.

This blog is one of them.

There will be more about all of this to look forward to in future posts.